Chesapeake Watershed Project Project Help

Is registering for a FieldScope account free?

Yes, registering for a FieldScope account is completely free of charge.

Submitting Feedback

We value your feedback and would like to hear from you. Please email your feedback to info@fieldscope.org

Contributing to a FieldScope Project

To contribute to a FieldScope project, you must first sign up for a FieldScope account and register with a project. Once approved, you will receive an email. To sign up for a new account, click the Login prompt located at the top right of a FieldScope project.

Finding Other FieldScope Projects

Find an index of all projects you can join that are using FieldScope here.

FieldScope and BSCS

BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) is a non-profit curriculum study committed to transforming science teaching and learning. We have a long history of developing exemplary curriculum materials, offering transformative professional development services, and conducting rigorous research and evaluation studies.

As we continue in our commitment to transform science education, we are building upon the foundation of our past while seeking innovative opportunities to lead the science education community. We are committed to generating and using research to develop products and services that improve science teaching and learning for all.

FieldScope is an interactive mapping platform that puts the tools of exploration and investigation in the hands of science enthusiasts. This digital tool enables citizen scientists to document and understand the world around them––both in the classroom and in outdoor settings. Using FieldScope, enthusiasts work together to share, analyze, and interpret data. Overlaying that data on a geographic mapping tool such as FieldScope helps identify larger trends and answer important questions.

Overview Video

Watch this overview video to see what is possible for working with citizen science data and maps in FieldScope

Working with Maps

Working with Graphs

Data Collection Protocols

To see the data collection protocol for a project, you must be registered for that project, and visit the Enter Data tab. Or contact the project organizer for more information.

Exporting Data

In most projects, you can download a CSV spreadsheet of observation data you are working with. CSV, or comma separated files, have the file extension .csv and are spreadsheets of data that can be opened in Microsoft Excel and other software programs that handle spreadsheets. To download the data in a CSV file, open up an existing map, or create a new one. You will find a button in the map interface to download the data.

Observation Data

The FieldScope community is set up to facilitate citizen scientists contributing to scientific research projects. Most projects are open and both interested participants and scientists can work with the contributed observation data. For project specific information on the use of contributed data, see the project FAQ tab.

See Your Data

A registered user can see a listing of all the observations and locations they have input through the My Project Content module on the home screen of a project. If you click on an observation or a location from this module, a screen will load for you to review or edit the information.

You can also interact with your data in maps or graphs. In the map or graph interface, create a filter of just your data using the Filter by Observer tool.

Editing or Deleting Data

Please refer to the "See Your Data" item above for one way to edit your data. Alternatively, you can edit your data by going to the Enter Data section of the tool. Find the station where you entered your data from your list of My Stations, and then you will be able to see all Observations added to that station. If you entered the observation, you will be able to edit it.

If you need to delete a data point (and not just edit it), you should flag the data either from the table view accessible from a map or graph, or from the Enter Data section described in the paragraph above. Provide the reason that your data point should be erased, and the manager of the project can delete it for you.

Add Multimedia & Documents

Some projects have been configured to allow for participants to upload multimedia including video and audio files, and also documents. If a project you are participating in had been configured to accept videos, audio, or documents, the following file types are acceptable:

Note: file size is typically restricted to 100MB per file, so if you are uploading large multimedia files, you may need to split them into smaller files.

Data Privacy

Most FieldScope projects are set to be publicly viewable, and any data you add is subject to the Privacy Policy that you agreed to when registering for a FieldScope account. However, some projects have elected to keep their data more private and only accessible to those who have been accepted into the project, and assigned a certain role. For more information on this, you can contact the manager of your project, or info@fieldscope.org with questions.

Adding Data Through A Mobile Device

We do not currently have a mobile app for adding data to a FieldScope project.

Adding Data in Bulk

You can add data in bulk from spreadsheets that follow a simple, but specific, formatting. E-mail info@fieldscope.org to request bulk upload permission. Please include the name of the FieldScope project with which you are associated.

There are a number of different graph types you can create in a FieldScope project:

Saving Graphs

To save graphs, you must first log-in to FieldScope. Once logged in, you can customize graphs and save them to your user account. Saved graphs can be accessed from the project homepage or in your project settings.

Time Series

A time-series plot displays the time-based frequency of a variable in a graph. The y-axis (vertical) will display number-based variables you choose. Colors will distinguish the variables if you choose more than one. The x-axis (horizontal) will always display a time period.

Histogram

A histogram displays the frequency of a variable in a bar chart. The y-axis (vertical) will always display the number of observations. The x-axis (horizontal) will display the number-based and category variables you choose. Colors will distinguish the variables if you choose more than one.

Scatter Plot

A scatter plot displays two variables on a graph. Both the y-axis (vertical) and x-axis (horizontal) will display number-based variables you choose. If you choose a category variable, the information will appear as you mouse over a point in your graph.

Range Comparison Plot

A range-comparison plot (sometimes called a box plot) displays variables in their quartiles, or rectangular-shaped sets of data values. The y-axis (vertical) will display a category variable you choose as a list. If you choose more than one category variable, the information on variable will appear as you mouse over a quartile. The x-axis (horizontal) will display a number-based variable you choose.

Save a Map

To save maps you create in FieldScope, you must first log-in. Once logged in, you can customize maps and save them to your user account. Saved maps can be accessed from the project homepage or in your project settings.

Search on Map

To find a location in FieldScope, use the Search feature available on the bottom right of the application by clicking on the magnifying glass icon.

Map Projections

All maps you see and interact with in FieldScope are projected in the Web Mercator projection. This is a common map projection used with maps on the web today. To read more about map projections, read this encyclopedic entry from National Geographic.

Help

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. GEO-0627923 and DRL-1010749. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The development of FieldScope has also been supported by the National Geographic Society.